Are there enough workers to build geothermal energy networks?
Combatting climate change will likely require a multi-pronged approach to renewable energy generation. After all, it's not sunny or windy everywhere all the time. Geothermal energy, which harnesses the natural heat generated by the earth, can significantly shrink the carbon footprint of heating and cooling buildings. Those systems are currently just a small part of the HVAC market. But the Department of Energy wants to accelerate production by 10% a year. Rae Solomon at KUNC in Northern Colorado reports on how one geothermal project in the municipality of Hayden is progressing.
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The old technique that could power future nuclear reactors
Some AI companies are turning to nuclear power to meet demand for electricity. But traditional nuclear plants can take decades to bring online. Now some tech companies are partnering with startups trying to build small, modular nuclear reactors, designed with speed in mind. One such company, Kairos, has a deal with Google to build a fleet of modular reactors. To do so, it’s relying on a technique first developed in the mid-20th century: molten-salt cooling.
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Chocolate's high tech and climate-friendly pivot
Extreme weather caused by climate change is affecting agriculture and raising the cost of foods like coffee, olive oil and chocolate. Cocoa prices have been hitting record highs due to extreme rainfall, drought and heat. And some experts say most of the land used for cocoa production won’t be usable in the future. Marketplace’s Amy Scott, host of our podcast "How We Survive," explores a new way tech entrepreneurs are making chocolate so that we can keep enjoying it for years to come.
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Bytes: Week in Review - Quantifying AI's impact on job cuts
On today's “Tech Bytes: Week in Review,” we discuss federal cybersecurity cutbacks that affected this week’s elections and a caucus of Midwestern states pushing to join the AI boom. Plus, Sens. Josh Hawley and Mark Warner introduced a bipartisan bill requiring some companies to report when AI replaces workers. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Axios tech policy reporter Maria Curi about these headlines and more.
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Former regional Fed president: We need an "AI land grant act"
Big tech companies have invested hundreds of billions in AI infrastructure, including data centers that are popping up all over the country. Constructing the facilities brings in jobs to local communities, but what happens once the construction is finished? Former Philadelphia Federal Reserve President Pat Harker says tech companies owe a longer-lasting benefit to the communities that host data centers.Marketplace tech host Nova Safo talked with Pat Harker about his proposal for a “digital AI land grant act.”
Monday through Friday, Marketplace demystifies the digital economy in less than 10 minutes. We look past the hype and ask tough questions about an industry that's constantly changing.
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